What's Happening

Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2003

Best Bets

Pier One Theater in Homer presents "Nunsense II, the Second Coming" by Dan Goggin through July 26. For reservations or more information, call (907) 235-7333.

The Soldotna Animal Hospital has a photography display from students who were enrolled in spring art classes at Kenai Pen-insula College. The show includes black-and-white landscape photography, hand-colored photography, night photography, computer-generated art and mixed media with computer drawing techniques. The show will be on display through July.

Events and Exhibits

Sassafras in Soldotna will host a meet-the-artist reception for award-winning watercolorist Sharon Freeman from noon to 4 p.m. Monday. Freeman specializes in the scenery and wild flowers of Alaska and has won awards in several watercolor shows. For more information, call 262-5135.

The Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center has "Alaska 2003: A Celebration of Wildlife Art," featuring 76 original paintings by 44 world-renowned artists, through Sept. 6. The cost to view the exhibit is $3 for adults and free for students and children. The center's hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. For more information, call 283-1991.

Kaladi Brothers in Soldotna has Melinda Hershberger as its artist of the month and hosts a chess club every Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Mykel's restaurant has photographer Bill Heath as its artist of the month.

Artwork by Kenai Peninsula artists can be viewed and purchased at the following area businesses: Art Works, Birch Tree Gallery, Claudette's Folk Art and Collectibles, Donna's Country and Victorian Gifts, Frames and Things, Malfunction Junction Gifts, Northcountry Fair and Tammy's Flowers and Gifts in Soldotna; Alaskan Gift and Gallery, Fireweed Herb Garden and Gifts, Kenai Fine Arts Center and Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center in Kenai and Peninsula Furs Inc. in Sterling.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Information Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center is on Ski Hill Road near the intersection of the Sterling Highway and Funny River Road in Soldotna. For more information, call 262-7021.

The Vagabond Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road presents music by Mike Morgan and the Baked Alaskans featuring Kurt Eriksson from 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Moosequito's in Sterling presents music by Jughead on Friday and Saturday nights.

Millie's Moose River Inn in Sterling presents karaoke at 9 p.m. today and Friday and music by Turk at 9 p.m. Saturday. A shuttle service is available.

Kaladi Brothers in Soldotna presents music by Two Cent Syndicate from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

The Rainbow Bar in Kenai presents music by The Mabrey Brothers at 10:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The Katmai in Kenai presents western dance lessons from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, karaoke with Lori from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and music by the Danglin' Wrangler from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturdays.

The Riverside House in Soldotna presents "After 10," a dance party, Friday and Saturday nights. DJ Ian will play favorite Top 40 dance music until 5 a.m.

Upcoming Events

World Music for the Kenai presents an evening of Hawaii in Alaska featuring traditional Hawaiian slack key guitarist and singer John Palos along with a host of Alaska musicians including Katie Skrha and the Cousins, Melissa Schmidt, Rich King and many more at Mike Morgan's Moose Pasture in Kasilof at 4 p.m. July 22. Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 for seniors and students, with family discounts available For more info and directions, call or e-mail Mike Morgan at 262-6548 or mjmorgan@gci.net.

American Dance Force national touring workshops will be held at the North Star Dance Studio in the Superstructure building in Soldotna on Aug. 2. Flamenco dancer Antonio Vargas will give intensive, 90-minute Flamenco workshops designed for beginner, intermediate and advanced students of all ages. Workshops cost $45. For more information or to register, contact American Dance Force by phone at (877) 500-2544, by e-mail at info@americandanceforce.com or its Web site at www.americandanceforce.com.

Films

Call Orca at 262-7003 for weekly listings and show times.

Call Kambe Cinemas at 283-4554 for weekly listings and show times.

Down the Road

The Fireweed Gallery in Homer presents a watercolor, acrylic and 3-D show by Alaska artist Dot Tideman through July.

The Pratt Museum presents an opening reception for "Fire and Ice," a thematic exhibition about Alaska's glaciers and volcanoes with photographs by Carmen Field and fiber arts pieces by Kenai Peninsula artists, at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Also on display is "Eight Stars of Gold the Story of Alaska's Flag," a historic collection of schoolchildren's designs that tell the story of Alaska and how the winning flag design supported the campaign for statehood, in the museum's mezzanine and lower levels. "Bears, Beetles and Darkened Waters," a stewardship exhibit, is on display in the museum's lower level. The museum's "SeeBirdCam" is operational through September, allowing patrons to control a live video camera on Gull Island from the museum's Marine Room. Films about Alaska grizzly bears, the Exxon Valdez oil spill and longtime pioneers are shown in the lower level of the museum at 11 a.m., 1, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. every day. Historic harbor guided walking tours are given from 3 to 4:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting at the museum's wheelhouse booth on the Homer Spit for $5. Fish feedings are at 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer will have a "Beaches and Blossoms" event at its two educational facilities this weekend. On Saturday, there will be naturalist-guided beach exploration, lunch, guided hiking in the forest and a presentation by University of Washington researcher Anne Salomon about bidarkis at the Peterson Bay field station across Kachemak Bay. Partici-pants will depart from Homer Harbor at 8 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. The cost for CACS members is $40 for adults and $20 for children under 12. The cost for nonmembers is $75 for adults and $35 for children under 12. On Sunday, there will be guided tours of wildflowers and a benefit barbecue at the Carl E. Wynn Nature center on east Skyline Drive on the bluff overlooking Kachemak Bay. There will be free admission to the center all day. The cost for the barbecue is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Call (907) 235-6667 for reservations for either event.

Anchorage Events

The Anchorage Museum of History and Art has "Eskimo Drawings," featuring more than 250 original drawings, watercolors and pastels, on display through Sept. 14. Also on display is "Soaring Like the Ravens: Aviation Alaska Style," through Sept. 21 and "Ready, Set, Go!" an exhibit of toys and games in art, through May 2004. Every Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. through Sept. 11, the museum hosts Jazz After Hours events where participants can view the museum's special exhibitions and permanent collections while listening to jazz music. At 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday, the museum will show the film "Heart of Light," about a family in Greenland struggling as its oldest son goes on a rampage and kills several people and himself.

If you have an event to include in our Thursday InSide section, send the information, in writing, to "What's Happening," c/o the Peninsula Clarion, Box 3009, Kenai, AK 99611, fax the information to 283-3299 or send it via e-mail to clarion@alaska.net.

The deadline for information is Monday at 5 p.m. For more information, call 283-7551.